Group Seychelles obtained its sending-off for the upcoming African Video games from March 8 to 23, in a ceremony on Monday on the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay resort.
The ceremony was low-key since many athletes had been in abroad competitions or coaching. These current obtained encouragement from the Minister for Youth, Sports activities and Household, Marie-Celine Zialor.
“We is not going to be going to the African Video games for expertise. Our athletes know the style of African Video games medals,” stated Zialor in her deal with.
Seychelles will participate in seven sporting disciplines, specifically athletics, boxing, judo, badminton, swimming, weightlifting and volleyball.
Zialor advised contributors to “carry Seychelles in your thoughts, carry Seychelles in your coronary heart, and do your finest. In case you can’t win a medal, search for a private finest and it doesn’t matter what end result you come again with, we are going to encourage you.”
A gaggle of officers are already in Ghana, together with the delegation’s head, Lucas Georges. The primary delegation of athletes will go away on Tuesday, together with athletes for the judo, weightlifting, volleyball and swimming competitions.
One other delegation will go away on March 10 with athletes from athletics and boxing and different athletes which might be presently overseas will meet up with the delegation in Ghana.
One of many athletes heading on to Ghana from the abroad competitors is the newly topped Seychelles’ Sportsman of the Yr, boxer Keddy Agnes, who will even be the Seychelles flag bearer.
In his absence, one other gold medal-winning boxer within the final Indian Ocean Island Video games (IOIG), Dasheil Fanchette, accepted the Seychelles flag from the minister on his behalf. This can be Fanchette’s first look on the event, after bursting onto the scene throughout final yr’s IOIG.
“It is a massive event, particularly for a primary time for me, however in all competitions that I am going to, the intention is to win a medal,” he stated, including that regardless of not having in depth preparations, he and his colleagues can be trying to do their finest in Ghana.
Whereas this would be the first African Video games look for Fanchette, for weightlifter Clementina Agricole, this competitors isn’t new. She received bronze medals twice in 2007 and 2015. She is the one weightlifter collaborating within the occasion.
“For me, I’m a bit disenchanted as we now have not had any preparations, however I can be making an attempt to do my finest. I haven’t got any massive expectations,” stated Agricole.
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Seychelles’ weightlifting is mired in controversy, with a number of unconfirmed reviews stating that a few of their athletes have examined optimistic for banned substances. No official affirmation has been introduced.
One other athlete making her first look on the video games is swimmer Aaliyah Palestrini, who stated, “the coaching classes have been fairly good, and though I believe it will likely be robust, I’ll attempt to do my finest.”
That is the second time in historical past that the Africa Video games video games can be decentralised and three cities in Ghana, the organising nation, will host the occasion. The cities are Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast.
Seychelles stays hopeful as a result of within the final version of the African Video games in Morocco in August 2019, Group Seychelles received two golds, one silver, and one bronze medal. All of the medals had been received by swimmer Felicity Passon, who is not going to be a part of Group Seychelles this time.
The African Video games is a continental multi-sport occasion held each 4 years, organised by the African Union with the Affiliation of Nationwide Olympic Committees of Africa and the Affiliation of African Sports activities Confederations. All the competing nations are from the African continent.
The thirteenth African Video games beforehand recognized, because the All-Africa Video games, will see the participation of 53 nations.